


The Bear IS The Maiden Fair

by Milliadoc_Brandybuck



Series: The Middle Ground [3]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Consensual Underage Sex, F/M, House Lannister, House Mormont, Inspired by Game of Thrones, Jaime Lannister Has Issues, Robert's Rebellion, Tyrion Lannister Deserves Better, Tywin Lannister Being Tywin Lannister, Westerosi Politics, kingslayer, underage marriage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:00:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28482030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milliadoc_Brandybuck/pseuds/Milliadoc_Brandybuck
Summary: Helenys Lannister, formerly Ursula Mormont, is the only daughter of former Mormont Lord Jeor and sister of Jorah. After Robert's Rebellion won Westeros, Helenys was promised to Jaime Lannister by his father Tywin as a way of uniting the North and the South. Helenys was thirteen at the time, Jaime twenty-one. All Helenys wishes for her marriage to Jaime is the love that she once shared with Benjen Stark... but things with Jaime are always going to be complicated when his sister Cersei won't allow him to love anyone but her. Helenys must adapt to life in Kings Landing, playing the Game of Thrones and trying not to get caught up on the middle ground.
Relationships: Jaime Lannister/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Middle Ground [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1573510
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	1. All That Is Gold

**The Kings Road, 283.**

Leaving the North behind was never going to be easy. It had not been Ursula’s decision to leave her family, her ancestral home, or the people she had grown up with, the people she loved. It was not her choice to leave him behind, but it was her duty to do so. If nothing else being a Mormont meant that much - duty above all else. Even if their words did not mention such a thing, it had been drilled into Ursula’s mind since she was a young girl. 

Though she wasn’t Ursula anymore, was she. That had been part of the agreement. No longer a Mormont, no longer a bear. She had been told to choose a Southern name from a list of approved names provided to her by Tywin Lannister. It had been all part of the deal he had made with her father, Lord Jeor Mormont. She had been dealt like a prize bull and now here she was on her way to King’s Landing, no identity, alone. Not even her brother had been allowed to accompany her. He was too busy fighting the war that had brought all of this about. 

She had read stories as a young girl of women being traded to make deals. She had never thought that it would happen to her. For as long as she could remember, Ursula - or whoever she was now - had expected to marry Benjen Stark. That was what she had decided as a young girl when she would be sent for long stays with the Starks. She and Benjen would spend endless hours in the grounds of Winterfell playing knights with sticks or fair maidens with the silks. She had always thought she would marry him one day. A marriage of love, not duty. But they didn’t exist in Westeros. Not when all of the kingdoms were at war. Those days of running free in the garden and making her own choices were long gone now. 

Ursula looked out of the window of the carriage at the endless green fields of the Riverlands passing them by. She had been sent from Bear Island with many of her family's men, mixed with the Lannister men that Lord Tywin had sent to ensure she did her part for the war effort. Her part in being sold and bargained. Her part in marrying the Kingslayer. 

Her stomach flipped at the thought. She had never even met Jaime Lannister, only heard stories of him. His bravery. His great lion heart. He had killed the Mad King, the very act that had started this whole war in the first place, at only nineteen years old. He sounded terrifying to thirteen year old Ursula. He was a man, a knight, and she was what… a school maiden. She felt sick as the carriage continued to wind its way down the Kings Road. The raven had flown from Bear Island five weeks ago on its way to Casterly Rock and Lord Tywin:  _ The girl has bled.  _

Her body had betrayed her. There was no way of hiding it, the maids checked and fed back to her father every morning. She had bled for the first time and that meant she was ready to be married. Four weeks later the Lannister men had arrived to escort her from Bear Island to the entrapment that was to be her future. 

She did not blame her father. He had had very little say in the betrothal and would actually be stepping down as Lord of House Mormont so as not to live there without his only daughter. He had told her before she left that he would be handing Bear Island to her brother, Jorah, and then he would be taking the Black up at the Wall. He resented that he had given in so easily to Tywin Lannister and traded his only daughter for support, but then… that was the way of the world. 

“It will be alright, Father.” Ursula had said on her last night in Bear Island. She had knelt before her father in the drawing room, the northern winds rustling her long black hair as she took his hands. “I am sure the Lannisters will allow me to visit you.” 

Jeor had smiled and cupped the gentle, dreaming face of his daughter with his big, rough hands. “I will always love you, my little cub.” 

Ursula felt her eyes prick with tears as she thought of her father. She wanted nothing more than to hold him now. She didn’t even know if she would ever see him again. 

For years it had been just the three of them in the Mormont House: her father, Jorah and her. They had been happy in that way. Jeor had given Benjen Stark his blessing to wed Ursula eventually, before the war had messed everything up. Now she did not know if she would ever be happy. 

Ursula closed her eyes and felt the bumping of the road slowly rock her side to side until she drifted off into a fretful sleep. 

In just a few more days, she would not be Ursula Mormont anymore. She would be Helenys Lannister, wife of the Kingslayer. The only thing tying her to the North anymore would be her dark hair and accent, though that soon would fade when surrounded by the ladies of Kings Landing. She would be a Southern lady and Tywin would have his way. The North and South would be united and Tywin would have all his playing pieces in place at last. 

She hoped Jaime Lannister would measure up to the stories told of him, but also that he would be kind, too. She had always been a dreamer. She hoped it would not be the death of her. 


	2. The Red Keep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while... I've been really struggling with my mental health and I really apologise!!
> 
> In this chapter, Helenys finally makes it to Kings Landing and settles herself into her new home: the home she will not leave now for almost two decades.

Kings Landing was nothing like Ursula, or Helenys now, had expected. It was much smaller than she had imagined, taller, and it stunk to the seventh heaven that these Southerners believed. She believed now. That was something else she would have to do: convert. No longer would she pray to the Old Gods in the Godswood. She would be forced to convert to the Light of Seven, she would be married in the Sept of Baelor, she would pledge her life to the seven southern Gods. 

It had been a long journey when eventually the troupe of soldiers and Helenys’ carriage finally reached the gates. The Red Keep stood before them high on the hill, the new home of the Rebellion under King Robert’s rule. Many forces were still North beating back the last of the Targaryen loyals, though it was clear to every Westerosi person that the Targaryen dynasty was done. Now was the age of the Stag, the Dragon was slain. Helenys looked through the window of her carriage at the Red Keep high in the air. She had a dark feeling that once she entered she would never leave. 

The congregation paused as the guards checked their right of entry, and then the gates to Kings Landing were opened and the soldiers continued on their way. As the carriage was pulled through the streets and the smell grew, Helenys peered through her sheer curtains at the filth of the poor. It was disgusting. It was devastating. Yet, for the first time, Helenys felt that her presence in King's Landing may not be all for nought. Back home in Bear Island in the absence of her father and brother, Helenys had been left in charge of the people. She had done good for them, made sure that they were fed and refugees of the war were well received. The people had loved her for it, her kind heart put to good use even at her young age. The Mormonts were known for their strong women, after all. It seemed that her duty there had been a prequel to what her duty might be here. She would be able to do real good in this stinking city, even if she was to be kept prisoner here. No. Not a prisoner, but still not free to go. Jaime Lannister was a Kingsguard, meaning their place would be here permanently. She would dedicate her days to making the lives of those who were less fortunate than her worth living. 

Helenys felt comforted in her decision. So comforted in fact that she almost didn’t notice the Red Keep grow closer and closer still as the carriage and procession wound its way up the battle-worn streets. Helenys was too distracted by the endless war-torn faces that greeted her. The rubble from the final rebel battle, though it had been months ago, still covered the streets. 

As the carriage passed, it’s black, silver and green exterior drawing quite a crowd, Helenys caught the eye of a young boy with no shoes. He wore rags and Helenys felt her heart pang for him. She had always been fond of children, even though she was still one herself. She held up a hand through the window to the boy in a form of wave. He returned the gesture, seemingly stunned. She smiled. He smiled back. Then the carriage moved away. 

Helenys sat back against her seat and let the carriage rock her for the last few streets before the Red Keep. She thought about what awaited her in just a few moments. She had never met Tywin Lannister, nor his son Jaime: her betrothed. She had simply heard stories of them both. Her stomach tied itself in fearful knots. She had only been a child a month ago and now she was a young woman being forced to marry one of the most feared men in Westeros. He was eight years her senior and his House brought fear and power. Helenys closed her eyes and forced back the tears that pricked her lashes. She must take it all in her stride. All of it. The Kingslayer, their wedding, their wedding night. 

Helenys’ eyes snapped open as it dawned on her. She knew very little about the wedding night, only that it could hurt, and that in great Houses it was never private. She had never had a chance to lay with Benjen before she had been forced to bid him goodbye. She knew nothing about the process. Fear rose in her chest and she began to feel hot all over, panic washing over her. Would Jaime be gentle with her? Probably not. He was, after all, the Kingslayer. 

“We’re here, my lady.” A harsh knock rang on the roof of the carriage as it pulled to a halt.

Helenys had been so lost in her fearful thoughts of losing her virginity that she had neglected to notice their entrance into the Red Keep itself. She barely had time to compose herself and wipe her warm cheeks before the door flung open. A Lannister soldier stood on the other side in his red and gold armour, her escort, and he gestured for her to exit the carriage. This was it. 

Helenys took her first step into her new life, leaving her old life behind. Ursula was to remain in the carriage, she would enter the keep as Helenys. She would not show fear and she would not let Jaime Lannister get the better of her, or anyone else for that matter. She was a Mormont. Mormont women were strong, fearless. Her own mother had died in battle, after all. She would be strong like her in her own way. 

Helenys did not wander meekly behind the Lannister escort but instead drew herself up in her emerald green robes and strode forward and into the great gates of the Red Keep. She would not let this life beat her. She only faltered when she realised she did not know the way to where Jaime and Tywin would be waiting. 

“Through here, my lady.” A soft Northern voice whispered. It was Rolfe, Helenys’ own hardened bodyguard and the only remaining ally that she had from home. He gestured, having been here before, and she subtly nodded to him in thanks. Rolfe would suffice as a reminder as to who she was. He had long served her father and her family and, though getting on in age, Helenys trusted him. He reminded her of her own brother, only about twenty years older. 

The throne room was large. It was so large that the Mormont Keep would fit inside it threefold. The Lannister soldier who had been sent to greet her stepped in front of her, taking her moment of awe to regain control. She looked around at the great pillars, already under construction, to remove the Targaryen interior and replace it with Baratheon. The soldier cleared his throat and Helenys, with Rolfe in tow, scuttled after him. She tried to maintain her confident stride but it faltered in the wake of grandeur. 

As they reached the end of the long room Helenys’ breath caught at the sight of the Iron Throne itself. It was just like she had read, only far more terrifying and foreboding. And uncomfortable looking. 

“Even your hardened Northern father would struggle to sit on that.” Rolfe whispered, making Helenys giggle quietly. She cleared her throat to regain her composure and followed the Lannister soldier past the throne. 

The soldier showed her and Rolfe through to a chamber just off of the throne room. It consisted of dark wood and a long table, great Baratheon and Lannister banners aligning the walls. Robert’s men didn’t seem to have much eye for design. 

All thoughts of the decor were chased from Helenys’ mind as the Lannister soldier stopped walking and Helenys realised there were four men standing by the long table. She recognised two of them, having grown up attending feasts and festivals with them. Helenys dropped into a courtesy at the site of the large, broad and bearded King Robert Baratheon. 

“Your Grace.” She spoke for the first time in weeks, her voice a mere rasp of fear. She cleared her throat. 

“Ursula Mormont?” Robert said in a booming voice. “I haven’t seen you since you were a young girl.” 

“She seems to still be.” The other man whom Helenys recognised: Jon Aryn. He did not seem to be happy to see her in such a predicament. 

“In body perhaps, Lord Hand,” Helenys remembered Jon had been appointed Robert’s hand when Ned Stark had refused. Benjen had told her about all of it. Helenys stood from her courtesy as Robert waved his hand dismissively. “And if it please your Grace, my name is Helenys now that I am to be Southern.” 

Robert laughed a little. “You can take the girl out of the North, but you can’t take the North out of the girl.” He frowned a little. “How is your father?”

“He is well.” Helenys replied quietly, suddenly homesick and craving her father, “Thank you, your Grace.” She swallowed hard. “He has decided to take the Black and retire from the responsibilities of leadership.”

“The day Jeor Mormont gives up leadership is the day I’ll hand over my newly acquired throne.” Robert laughed again. He cleared his throat and looked to the elder of the two men Helenys did not recognise. “You sure about this union, Lord Tywin?”

“Indubitably.” Tywin said. His cold eyes had been fixed on Helenys since she had entered. He seemed a little disappointed, or perhaps that was just his face.

“Well?” Robert asked impatiently, “Will she do? I have things to get on with, Tywin.” 

“Yes.” Tywin said curtly. “She will do.” 

Helenys looked to the flagstones, avoiding eye contact with any of the men. It was true that she was tall for her age, and had developed early, but just now she felt as small as the toddler Robert had last seen her as. She had not dared look at the fourth man. She did not want to form an opinion until she was sure she wouldn’t turn and run. 

“Helenys.” Tywin’s voice was closer. Helenys looked up to find he had stepped closer to her, his hands behind his back. “I approve of this name.” 

“I’m glad it please you, my lord.” Helenys said in a small voice. She cleared her throat and forced herself to look into his eyes. “I hope I will not disappoint.” She stared Tywin down, feeling strength mix with the fear in her belly. Tywin Lannister was just a man, despite the stories. She could see that now. 

“It is not I it should please.” Tywin sniffed dismissively and stepped to the side, holding out his hand to the fourth man. “Jaime, meet your new wife.” 


End file.
